How I Got Here with Dave Fiore | Tallahassee's Podcast

_________________________________ Thanks for listening to Tallahassee's Podcast. Enjoying the conversation? Please share this episode. Love the show? Please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.   About the Podcast: How I Got Here is hosted by Dave Fiore and features Tallahassee leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers sharing the experiences and pivotal moments that shaped their journey. Th...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Marsha Doll, one of the most recognizable and sought-after personalities in Tallahassee – and throughout the modeling world. The Perry native started her modeling career on a trip to Atlanta as a buyer for her grandfather's clothing store at age 14. She would go on to work at influential modeling agencies throughout Florida before launching the iconic M...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Kim Moore, Vice President of Workforce Innovation at Tallahassee Community College. The native of nearby Greenville dreamed of being a CEO since she was 14 years old, and achieved that goal when she was selected to lead Workforce Plus, the regional economic and workforce development body now known as CareerSource Capital Region. Her success there led to...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Dale White. Dale is president and CEO of Reentry Solutions Network, the reentry program director for Good News Outreach and the founder of The Living Harvest. For the last nine and a half years, Dale has dedicated his life to helping formerly incarcerated individuals with substance abuse disorders reenter society successfully. It is a calling he is all...

In this episode of the podcast, host Dave Fiore speaks with Mike Goldstein, Tallahassee native and ardent supporter of all things local. Mike is the owner of Capital City Pedicabs, the short-distance transportation choice of many FSU athletes, local VIPs and anyone looking for a fun way to get around campus and downtown. He also provides a safe way for students to get home after a long night out....

In this episode of the podcast, host Dave Fiore speaks with Lisa Davis, owner of Image by Lisa, successful entrepreneur and three-time national sales leader for a once wildly popular beauty company. After a dramatic and unexpected change in circumstances, Lisa had to adjust to a life without the income, rewards and status she worked so hard to achieve. Those changes forced her to start over, leadi...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Skip Foster, former publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat, popular weather hobbyist and creator of The Fanatical Middle news blog. He is a longtime journalist, husband and father of three who values respectful and nuanced discourse, which makes him a popular and trusted facilitator of important community discussions. A Florida native with strong Carolin...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Shacafrica Simmons, better known as Chef Shac. Born in South Florida and the oldest of 11 total siblings, she is an entrepreneur at heart with multiple brands under her Chef Shac, LLC, umbrella. Before earning two degrees from culinary school, she tried her hand at barbering school and midwifery after a challenging pregnancy. But it was food and how to...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Tom Derzypolski, co-founder and president of BowStern , an award-winning integrated communications firm. Tom is a father of three, proud grandfather and husband to Stephanie Derzypolski, vice president and chief communications officer at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. He was named Leadership Tallahassee's Leader of the Year in 2019 and was one of the...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Talethia Edwards, the founder and president of the Greater Bond Neighborhood Association who has already secured more than $6 million for community revitalization. The Miami native came to Tallahassee as a freshman at Florida A&M University where she met her husband Harold. The couple has seven children and are currently caring for two more they hope to...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Rachel Pienta, the 4-H Youth Development Program Director at the University of Florida's Extension Office in Wakulla County. A native of upstate New York, Rachel finished high school in rural central Florida, where she says she felt a little like Kevin Bacon in Footloose. She earned a Ph. D. from Florida State University, has led organizations, run loca...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Mark Wallheiser, award-winning photographer who has captured some of our area's most iconic moments. From hurricanes and political rallies to national football championships, Mark's images have put us in the middle of the action – which is exactly where he has spent most of his career. After 27 years as a photojournalist and editor at the Tallahassee De...

If you need a break from the news or could use a distraction that will encourage you, I offer you the stories of the guests I have been privileged to talk with on this podcast. They are willing to be vulnerable in hopes of encouraging others who may be experiencing some of the same challenges or obstacles they did. I am confident you will be inspired. I invite you to listen online or wherever you...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Keith Bowers, regional director for the Florida Small Business Development Center at Florida A&M University. A native of Panama City, Fla., Keith was raised in a home that stressed the importance of education and serving others, values he has demonstrated throughout his adult life. As an Army reservist, he served in Joint Detention Operations in Guantan...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Elizabeth Emmanuel, the CEO of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority. The Tallahassee native started her career path on a field trip to a funeral home while at Tallahassee Community College, where she was offered a job on the spot by her future mentor. But it was  a tragic personal loss during her time as a funeral director that led to the real...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Stephen Fulford, a Monticello native, husband, father and sixth-generation north Floridian. He is also currently a Jefferson County Commissioner who stuck by a tough 2019 decision in favor of economic development that cost him most of the land his family has been farming for three generations. When we recorded this episode, Stephen was still in the midd...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Kelley Hutto, the founder and owner of PlayBig. The former All-American track star and mother of three was fueled by poor experiences with the health care system to leave a career in marketing and pursue a calling in physical therapy. Seeing firsthand the devastating impact of health care that lacks resolve and compassion, Kelley is on a mission to ensu...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Danny Shrine. Danny is co-owner of Full Press Apparel with his wife, Tracey, and a father of two who has taken an unconventional path to his position as a respected community leader. A college career that looked different and took much longer than expected led to business opportunities and eventually a platform from which he is helping others who share...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Jami Coleman, a tax attorney and partner in the firm Williams and Coleman. Her path to the law includes a few run-ins with it and a long, arduous process of proving she had the character to serve the clients she now receives accolades for representing. In her life, Jami has experienced the gamut of love, support, disappointment and tragic loss – with un...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore talks with Bill Kelly, a guy who has never been afraid to try something new. He did gymnastics for the first time in college and made the team, worked in radio formats he wasn't familiar with and became an actor after a fax came into the radio station looking for help with student films. And today, when he's not selling or producing local radio, he's flying around...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Drew McLeod, well-known restaurateur who has owned or managed some of the area's most iconic restaurants from midtown to the coast over the last three decades, including his current project, Savour. _________________________________ Thanks for listening to Tallahassee's Podcast. Enjoying the conversation? Please share this episode. Love the show? Please...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Terri Smith, owner of Terri Smith Details, a boutique party rental company known for transforming event venues into unique spaces. Terri is energetic, confident and a whirlwind of ideas, which has helped her overcome challenges that include escaping Saigon, Vietnam, with her family as a young child, living on her own at age 16 and waitressing her way th...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Mickey Moore, former executive director of the TMH and Southern Scholarship foundations, marathon runner and doting husband and father. He is a driven, high achiever who projects an attitude of self-reliance born from a childhood that included times of homelessness, premature independence and an unsure path to stability and happiness. He now devotes muc...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Maicel Green, a successful communications professional who helped guide members of the Talquin Electric Cooperative through two recent hurricanes. She is also a devoted wife and mom, a respected community leader and an Olympic gold medalist with a heart for encouraging young women to follow their dreams. _________________________________ Thanks for list...

In this episode, host Dave Fiore speaks with Terrance L. Barber, a man who is as passionate about Tallahassee as anyone you will ever meet. He is especially driven to make sure the entire community has the chance to make positive changes in their lives, regardless of what part of town they live in. He has created programs and movements such as Working Class Wednesday to back up his convictions, an...